NCIS: Los Angeles 12×09 “A Fait Accompli” is half filler, half the resolution to “Love Kills,” the episode I’m still not sure needed a second part, except that the show apparently wanted to resolve some personal, character issues right now, and figured we’d want the excuse of a case in the background while they did that?
Except we don’t.
This show has done a lot of effective two-parters in its day, ones who’ve managed to sustain both emotion and tension. This episode, however, barely has any of that. It’s just like any other episode, except that it starts in the middle? Callen isn’t even invested enough in this case that he can’t take a day off.
Which, good for Callen, I mean. He’s put the job first in way too many occasions, and I’m super glad the show is finally taking him on a path that will, hopefully, allow him some semblance of a happy, balanced personal life. Some resolution to that instead of more answers would have been nice, and I truly hope we aren’t just heading towards more pain, because come on, it’s been forever, and I’m old and tired, but of course, we can’t get those answers because we’re getting a supper emotional resolution to …
Oh, wait, yeah. We aren’t. So my point remains – this just wasn’t two-parter material, because despite having something to say about most of the characters, I have absolutely nothing to say about the case.
Okay, I don’t even have much to say about the characters, if I’m being honest. Except for Deeks. And not really because this episode gave me much of Deeks, just because I’m glad this storyline has reached its inevitable conclusion, even if I’m not truly happy about the way it was handled.
Deeks can do the job of an agent, we already knew that. Deeks maybe didn’t know he wanted to, didn’t know how much this mattered to him till it was taken away, but considering how long we, the viewers, have been waiting to see him get to this place, to have that badge in his hand, the way we got here was …anticlimactic, to say the least.
Then there’s the cliffhanger, which I was kind of expecting, considering the show will now take a nearly month long break. Except part of me is like, this show isn’t going to hurt Sam’s kid, not after what happened to Michelle. No way, no how. I also haven’t had enough time to truly care about her, so even though I anticipate next episode is going to be emotional, because we do care about Sam, right now …I’m not exactly worrying about the time I’ll have to wait.
All in all, absolutely everything that happened in this episode could have been part of the last one. This sometimes happens with shows that do long seasons, a la NCIS: Los Angeles, but I didn’t quite expect it to be the case this year, thanks to the pandemic. Sadly, it seems there’s always time for a filler.
See you in a month.
Things I think I think:
- Oh, yeah, I almost forgot this is the second part to one of the most boring two-parters this show has ever done.
- I still can’t stand the man bun.
- “When you’re offered rest on this job, you take it.”
- Every time I see Kilbride I remember that his name is Hollace and I laugh.
- This young Callen flashback is CREEPING ME OUT. Especially because I remember young Chris O’Donnell.
- Mandatory silent miles sounds like a GREAT IDEA, Kensi. Deeks is absolutely not gonna be able to do that, though.
- Fatima and Devin are kind of adorable.
- Expedition Bigfoot? Seriously?
- I find Fatima’s background of acting and money super interesting. There’s a lot they could do with that.
- The jokes at the expense of Sabatino are funny, what can I say?
- No one, at any point of the episode, was like …poor Musa. It kinda rubbed me the wrong way.
- Daniela can actually sing.
- The only thing creepier than “young Callen” is “young Hetty.”
- Haven’t Deeks and Kensi already proved it doesn’t truly have to be a lonely existence?
- Real honest question – couldn’t you have just done this “open the drawer” thing from the beginning, Hetty? We ALL remembered the setup for this, back in Season 3. I mentioned it a couple of times before. Like, a part of me is truly happy I wasn’t the only one who remembered, but like …why make us wait?
- Is the answer to that is to give Eric time with his newborn daughter, I’ll take it.
- “Callen? I barely even know the man. I can’t pronounce his first name.”
- Whatever’s going on with Anna, can it not take the rest of the season?
Agree? Disagree? What did you think about NCIS: Los Angeles 12X09 “Fait Accompli”? Share with us in the comments below!
NCIS: Los Angeles airs Sundays on CBS.
I actually really liked this episode. Knowing that Hetty will be in the episode tends to make certain things easier to handle. Like, I was really enjoying the silliness more then my usual ‘just laugh at the jokes’ thing. And ANY cryptic Hetty info there is out there is always a good thing!
I loved the flashbacks. Didn’t find them creepy at all. They were a reminder that Callen has come a very long way from being the ‘lost boy who was taken care of by Hetty’, and I’m proud of him for wanting to be spontanious and surprise his girlfriend. (the mere fact that he WANTS to get married speaks volumes to who he is now!).
And I definitely loved the Hetty/Densi scene. I don’t care how late it was, it finally happened. He’s finally a real part of NCIS, and that’s what really matters!
I mostly meant creepy visually, it’s an effective scene, but since Chris has been part of our general consciousness for so long, it was weird to see a “young Callen” that didn’t look like we remembered Chris to look, lol.
The Densi/Hetty scene was the best part of the episode for me.